The Black Hole of Film Camp

Let me start with a word about the weather. LA. Warm and sunny right? Wrong. My mom told me that I didn't need to pack any jeans. I packed one pair just in case and wore them throughout the trip. I arrived in LA during June Gloom, which carried over into July. It felt like fall in Pennsylvania. While the people of Johnstown were sweating, I was bundling up.

The days at film camp were long. After only a few days, I felt like I had been there an eternity. We often compared the huge campus of UCLA to a black hole that had sucked us in. It felt like time had stopped, and life outside of the college no longer existed.

This being said, we were easily amused by things such as instant coffee vending machines, Panda Express, and any murmur of Lady Gaga.

In the evenings, the people of US Performing Arts planned fun activities. We often had the chance to go to the gym or the pool (so I did get some running in), and we made trips to Westwood, the neighborhood outside of UCLA. Tuesday nights were Improv nights, and on Monday we ate this thing called a pizookie. It's basically this huge cookie of deliciousness that you eat with ice cream. People in Florida call it a cookie pie.

After an exhausting day of filming on Saturday, we took Sunday (the Fourth of July) off. All of the students boarded school buses, and we headed to Hollywood.

My group decided to stick together. We headed to Amoeba Music, the most beautiful place on earth.

The store has a top floor filled with used DVDs. The bottom floor is littered with posters, used and new CDs, and records. Posters cover the wall, loud Cuban music plays in the background, and the whole building has a welcoming smell of dust. I even walked into the back room where old school music is kept. I could have spent an entire day in that part alone.

I ended up buying E.T., Three Kings, and Phoenix's It's Never Been Like That.

After Amoeba, we grabbed some Philly Steak n' Cheese sandwiches, explored a Goodwill type store, and took pictures outside of the Chinese theater.

The day concluded with a trip to the Hollywood Bowl where we watched the cool firework show. On the late night return trip, I feel asleep on the bus. Reaching the dorms, everyone passed out immediately.

That adventure was a highlight on my trip. Getting the chance to just have fun and hang out with new friends for a day was great. The next day, we returned to filmmaking.

Film Camp! Part One

Film Camp!

After four days, I had adjusted to living at Apartment de Brad, Danielle, et Erica. So as we approached UCLA after a breakfast stop at Hamburger Hamlet, I was a little nervous. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, after forking over all of my savings, I had high expectations for this camp.

Carol Anne and Danny escorted me to my room where we bumped into my roommate Walter. He looked to be about thirty. Now, I was even more nervous. We met with our groups, and the day soon began. It was of course awkward at first, but I expected this. The first day or two at any sort of camp is always awkward.

We then met with our professor for the next two weeks: Michael Wohl (Look him up - he wrote a book about editing with Final Cut Pro). He explained that we would be placed in groups of three or four. That night, we would have to come up with an idea for a five minute short film that involved minimal dialogue. We would pitch the ideas the next morning, and then he and a group of UCLA graduate film students would tear them to shreds.

I was placed in a group with Walter. That night, we met in our room with Reid and Kevin. Reid suggested a comedy about two men who formed competing lemonade stands. My fears were eased as we all liked the idea.

We survived the pitch the following morning and spent the rest of the week developing scripts, casting actors, and preparing for the shoot. We would have one day to film - Saturday.

The second day was fun, and by the third day, I was in love. Teenagers came to this Advanced Digital Filmmaking Camp from all over the country and all over the world. We all shared the same passion and the same drive. Naturally, we became a family.

More on this later. And one more thing... Walter was actually seventeen. He was also one of the nicest and funniest guys I have ever met. Lesson learned? Never judge a book by its cover. Duh.